ABOUT
Background
E.V.A. POULSOM born in Heidelberg - South Africa, 10 April 1973
I grew up surrounded by family and friends who are artists and zoologists. This awakened an early awareness in the rich variety of bird-life so fortunately to be found in the surrounding environments of the Eastern Transvaal, the West Coast and the Cape Peninsula where I spent my childhood.
I studied painting at the Michaelis School of Fine Art under Peggy Delport and sculpture under Bruce Arnot, majoring in History of Art and Psychology and have subsequently completed a computer graphics course at Concept Marketing.
Now living on the mountainside of Muizenberg, overlooking the sea and Zandvlei, I have been drawn back to my early fascination with the birds and nature, which once again surround me. My recreation time also allows me to enjoy the life of water birds, as I am a keen canoeist.
Particularly drawn towards the penguin colony at Boulders, I decided two years ago to make this a special project, making weekly trips to study and observe the birds - taking time and care to capture the subtle gestures so unique to penguins. I have had the privilege of spending time with "my little friends", as I call them and regard myself as fortunate to be able to enjoy painting them, with their endearingly human appearance and insatiable curiosity. As with David Gaynor, who is in the baboon monitoring program at Cape Point, said of them, "What if they were no longer there!" I hope that through my art I can in some way contribute to the general awareness of the environment and of wildlife conservation as painting endangered and threatened animals has become my passion. I donated one of my studies; done in oil on canvas, to SANCCOB to help raise funds for the seabirds affected by the "Treasure" oil spill. The WWF.SA successfully auctioned this painting on the Internet.
The Ruth Prowse School of Art has been facing the threat of closure following a year of extraordinarily high expenses. When approached to assist in a Fundraising Exhibition and Auction titled, "Save the Ruth Prowse", I happily donated a powerful oil painting of a raptor.
I regularly exhibits at galleries in Cape Town, that have sold my paintings to SA corporates and done several private commissions. I have also completed studies of the Montero Hornbill for a poster for the Percy Fitz Patrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town, which is to be publicly displayed in Namibia. Their aim is to popularise scientific research findings, making them more accessible to the public, thus bridging the gap between art and science.
My most recent paintings are on exhibition at the Cape Gallery, 60 Church Street, Cape Town.
Current Work:
It was the work that I did for the Percy Fitz Patrick Institute and the money that was raised by the auctioning of my painting for the WWF.SA that directed me towards the work I am doing at present. I have studied the penguin colony at Boalders and am working on paintings depicting all aspects of their behaviour in that environment during the changing seasons. Thus hoping to give those who have come to view them a greater insight into the life of these endearing little creatures. The Galapagos tortoise has a similar popular fascination and is equally as endangered and I have made it my ambition to make some contribution by enabling those who care to take these creatures, after they have enjoyed them in the wild, into their homes.
Fundraising:
1. With the sinking of the bulk ore carrier MV Treasure, the WWF SA hosted an internet auctioning of a painting to help raise funds for the work done by SANCCOB for the cleaning and rehabilitating of the oiled birds. The painting was exhibited at the Cape Gallery.
2. Participated in the "Save the Ruth Prowse" fundraising exhibition and auction, which enabled the school to continue operating.
3. Donated a painting to the Columbine Lodge of English Freemasonry for a charity fundraising raffle. The proceeds were donated to the Veldrift Night Shelter.
4. Supports the Charles Darwin Foundation and Galapagos National Park Service. The Galapagos being one of the last wild places on earth and has been identified as a model of ecotourism and sustainable management.
5. Bringing awareness to the Baboon monitoring program.
Penguin Colony at Boulders:
In 1983 two pairs of penguins were found breeding under the bushes at Boulders. Boulders is an area named after its greyish, rounded granite boulders. It is here that the African Penguin (Sphenicus demersus), also called the Jackass Penguin because of its donkey-like braying call, has established a colony, thriving under the protection of the Cape Peninsula's National Park. There are few predators, they nest in the park's bushes and feed on abundant small shoaling fish in False Bay. This unique setting offers viewers the opportunity to become acquainted with these endearing little creatures. Each individual bird has its own pattern of black spots on its chest, thus enabling the observer to identify them. With the changing seasons, privileged onlookers may enjoy observing many fascinating activities, such as romancing, nesting, parenting, preening, moulting and the simple joy of their pleasurable play in the sheltered sunny pools.
By Alexander Chancellor:
If you want to survive in this dangerous world, it helps to be lovable. That is why penguins, whose numbers are in alarming decline, have a better chance of avoiding extinction than endangered species that lack their charm. The secret of penguins, of course, is that they seem almost human. They stand upright, have the comically solemn bearing of undertakers, and enjoy the human sport of tobogganing on snow slopes. This makes them immensely popular with tourists, who flock to visit the great penguin concentrations in Argentina and Australia. Much of the money they bring in, together with donations from wealthy benefactors, is going into research on penguin protection. The penguin is also used as a mascot to advertise products from chocolate biscuits to cheese. A New Zealand company that features a yellow-eyed penguin in its cheese commercials has contributed about 17 million pounds to the cause. Of the world's 17 species of penguin, 10 are listed as threatened. Over-fishing and oil spills are held partly responsible, but experts are increasingly convinced that the main cause is global warming. The penguins at greatest risk are those farthest from the South Pole, such as those in the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador, where rising water temperatures have adversely affected their ability to breed and find food. But even in Antarctica, where they tend to fare better, a decline in sea ice has contributed to a 50 per cent drop in the number of emperor penguins over the past 50 years, according to the magazine Nature. Penguins all over the world are in trouble, but at least they have friends.
